Snow removal device



.Fan, 4-, 1938. J. E. DEVLIN SNOW REMOVAL DEVICE Filed May 11, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet l 0 v 1 4 4 x j b 5 M 9% I v w L m .Jmes E136 v/zrz Jan. 4,1938. J, DEVUN SNOW REMOVAL DEVICE Filed May 11, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Jzzaavzf .Emes EBa /Z77 Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 14 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device adapted for the removal ofsnow from roads, streets, sidewalks and the like.

Snow is generally removed from streets and sidewalks by plowing it intothe gutters at opposite sides of the street, where it becomes packed andfrozen and inevitably clogs the drains so that the water produced byrains and thaws in the spring, being unable to drain into the sewers,must accumulate in the streets, making driving hazardous and walkingunpleasant. The alter native for leaving the snow at opposite sides ofthe street is to load it into trucks to be carted away, always anexpensive proposition, especially where the snow has been allowed tobecome hard packed.

Devices for melting the snow to allow it to pass directly to the sewersin the form of water, have been developed, but in each instance havebeen unsatisfactory because of the inability to apply enough heat tomelt the snow as rapidly as it is picked up from the street. It has beenfound that snow melts most rapidly when in direct contact with hotwater, and this principle is embodied in the device of the presentapplication, in which the snow is delivered to a tank in which a largenumber of sprays of hot water are directed, so that the snow isimmediately melted. The device incorporates an arrangement by which hardcakes of ice or snow will be broken up so that they are discharged intothe tank in very small pieces, and the snow is similarly "directed intothe tank in relatively small lumps.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appearfrom the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a deviceembodying the invention, with parts in section to show the construction.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the device, along the line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view along the line t-G of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modification.

Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in section, of the modification of Fig. 5.I

Fig. '7 is a plan view of another modification.

Fig. 8 is a side View of the modification of Fig. 7.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1,, the device is shown in connection with atruck I, having the usual drivers cab 2. The truck shown has anendless-belt traction-tread 3 for movement of the truck, and the frontof the truck is supported on the usual wheels l, which also provide forsteering the vehicle. In the modification shown, the truck has a lowplatform body 5, on which the melting tank and associated equipment aremounted.

Carried by the front end of the truck, for vertical movement relativethereto, as by the links 6, is a scoop 7, preferably of a width at leastas great as the usual vehicle lane, and within the scoop is positioned aspiral feeding screw 8 driven as by means of the shaft 9 and gearing Illfrom the engine of the truck. A clutch, not shown, of any usualconstruction, will be provided for allowing the engine to operatewithout turning the screw 8, and the cooperating gears ll provide aconnection between the engine and the shaft 9 so that rotation of thescrewv 8 is independent of the forward movement of the truck. The top I2of the scoop I is preferably mounted at its rearward edge on a hinge l3so that the top may swing up if the snow is deeper than the normalheight of the scoop opening. Suitable provision for elevating the scoop,similar to the well known structure for lifting the familiar snow plowblades may be provided, if desired, and universal joints may be providedin the shaft 9 to allow for the scoop movement.

From the rearward end of the scoop I, is an upwardly extending conduitl3 having positioned therein a feeding screw l4 having a helical fin IEon the outside thereof to provide for movement of the snow toward theupper end of the conduit. The feeding screw 14 is positively drivenpreferably from the truck engine through a vertical shaft l6 having, onits lower end, a worm gear connection IT with the shaft 9. The shaft l6has on the upper end thereof, a worm gear connection l8 with a shaft Hito which the screw M is connected, as bya universal joint 26.

The upper end of the conduit I5 is in alinement with a horizontalconduit 2| located within a tank 22 in which the snow is melted. Theconduit 2| has a large number of relatively small holes 23, Fig. 3,throughout its entire surface and through which the snow is forced intothe tank. A feeding screw 24, similar to the screw 14, distributes thesnow throughout the length of the conduit iii and forces the snowthrough the holes 23 into the tank. This arrangement causes the snow toenter the tank in small particles which are readily melted whensubjected to hot water.

Positioned within the tank are a plurality of vertically extending pipes25 located, for example, at the corners and midway of the sides of thetank, and these pipes have a large number of small perforations 26, Fig.4. The pipes are all interconnected, as by horizontal pipes 21, alsoperforated, and these, in turn are connected to a conduit 28 whichprovides a connection beteween the tank and a pump 29, which forces hotwater into the pipes and out of the perforations 26, the latter formingnozzles. The pump, which is of any usual design, is rotated either by anindependent gasoline engine, not shown, or by a connection to the truckengine, and accordingly maintains a predetermined supply of water to thepipes in the tank at all times.

The water for the pipes 25 and 21 is pumped from the water tank 30preferably located below the melting tank 22 and connected by a pipe 3|to the pump 29. The water in this tank is heated by any suitable heater,which may be, for exam ple, an oil burner 32, the water tank havingheating coils 33 positioned therebeneath in a heating chamber 33. Avertical pipe 34 provides an exhaust for the burner. The heater may beprovided with any suitable means for controlling the temperature of thewater in the boiler, such as the-well known thermostatically controlleddevices, not shown, or the burner may be hand controlled, if desired.Water is supplied to the water tank from the bottom of the melting tank22 through a conduit 35 having, preferably, a float valve 36 formaintaining a predetermined level of water in the water tank at alltimes, the valve being located in a chamber 3'5 mounted on the tank. Asmall fuel tank 38 provides fuel for the water heater 32. The water tank30 has a drain plug 39' and a filling connection 3|, as will beapparent.

The water level in the melting tank 22 is always maintained above theentrance to the tank 31, but after a predetermined depth is reached, anyadditional water forming in the melting tank as a result of the meltingof snow and ice, is allowed to run off through a conduit 39 in which ispositioned a pump 49 to assure a positive discharge of the water fromthe end of the conduit. The latter may be long enough to reach thenearest catch drain so that the water goes directly into the sewer. Thewater level in the melting tank is maintained below the horizontal pipes21 and directly above the pipes is located a screen 48' to hold anyunmelted snow and ice above the water level where it may be acted uponby the sprays from the pipes 25 and 21.

In the event that stones or other hard substances are carried up intothe horizontal conduit 2| they are discharged at the rearward end ofsaid conduit into a collecting chamber 4| into which the conduit opensand damage to the conduit or to the feeding member 24 is prevented sinceany hard substances can drop directly into this chamber. The bottom 42of the chamber is hinged, as at 43, and is located adjacent to a manholeM in the side of the melting tank to permit the removal of articlescollected in the chamber. The bottom 43 is also perforated to providefor drainage from the chamber. The covers Q4 of the melting tank arealso preferably hinged thereto, for inspection and cleaning of thedevice.

In operation the truck is driven forward with the feed screw 8 as wellas the feeding screws l4 and 2d rotated so that any snow or ice enteringthe scoop l is picked up by the feed screw and directed into the conduit|3 from which it is carried into the horizontal conduit 2! within. the

melting tank and discharged through the openings in the conduit. It willbe apparent that any small chunks of ice will be broken up by the actionof the fins on the feed screws, either in the scoop 1 or in the conduit,into pieces small enough to pass through the openings in the horizontalconduit, and any articles, such as rocks, will be carried through thehorizontal conduit and into the collecting chamber 4|.

The pump 29 is in operation and provides a continuous spray of hot waterthrough the holes in the spraying pipes 25 and 2'l within the meltingtank, and the small particles of snow and ice passing through the holesin the conduit 2| are engaged by these streams of hot water and areimmediately melted. Water is continuously supplied to the water tank 38from the melting tank and is being continuously heated by the burner 32so that a constant supply of hot water is always ready for use in themelting tank. It will be apparent that the temperature of the waterentering the melting tank may be so controlled that no heat is wasted,it being necessary only to melt substantially all of the snow and icewithout raising the temperature of the water in the melting tank abovefreezing. Obviously, on an extremely cold day, when the water in thedischarge conduit 39 might freeze before it could have run down throughthe drain and into the sewer, the

temperature of the hot water entering the melting tank can be raised tosuch an extent that the temperature of the water in the bottom of themelting tank being discharged through the conduit 39 will be warm enoughto prevent freezing.

In the removal of snow from country roads, or cross country trafficroutes, where the snow may be left at the sides of the road, the deviceprovides for spreading the snow somewhat away from the side of the road,so that there is not the objectionable mound of snow left by the usualsnow plow. To this end, the device is used without the tank 22, asshown, for example in Fig. '7. In this arrangement, the horizontalconduit 2|, instead of extending longitudinally of the truck I, extendstransversely thereof, being supported by any suitable bracket 45, whichprovides for swinging movement of the conduit about an axis coincidingsubstantially with the axis of the vertical shaft I6, which drives thefeed screw 26. The worm and worm gear connection 8, permits swingingmovement without interfering with the positive drive of the feed screw24', and a second universal joint 46 cooperates with the universal joint20 to provide for driving of the feed screw l4, independently of therelative positions of the conduits I3 and 2|. Any suitable provision maybe made for locking the conduit 2| against swinging movement, while inoperative position, and since it projects laterally of the truck, anysnow carried through the conduit will be discharged through the end ofthe conduit at a point away from the edge of the road. In theconstruction shown the bracket is mounted to turn on the shaft l6 andrests on the floor of the truck body, but any other arrangement may beused.

In the modification of Figs. 5 and 6, is. shown a device adapted for usewith the well known snow loaders, now in use for loading snow on thetrucks, by which it is hauled away. Referrin to these figures, the snowloading device is attached to a truck 41 and has a scoop 48 on the frontend thereof, in which is positioned the lower end of a conveyor 49, bywhich the snow is elevated to a point high enough to be loaded into atruck,.or the like, at the back of the: truck 41. The conveyor is drivenby any suitable mechanism, not shown, and the upper end of the conveyoris supported in the arrangement shown, by a suitable bracket 50extending upwardly from the cab 51, or other parts of the truck.

When used in connection with a loader of this character, the device ofthe invention comprises a tank 52, having a hopper 53 at the topthereof, adjacent to the front end of the tank. The lower end of thehopper communicates with one or more horizontal conduits 54, positionedwithin the tank, and in each of these conduits is positioned a feedscrew 55, similar to the feed screw 24 above referred to. The shaft 56of the feed screw extends beyond the end. of the tank, and has a gear57, by which the feed screw may be positively driven, as fromv thetruck. engine. At the rearward end of the conduit is positioned acollecting chamber 58, corresponding tothe chamber 4|, and the tankpreferably has a hinged cover 58 to provide for access to the collectingchamber and to the inside of the melting tank.

Eachconduit 54 has a plurality of small openings 59 therein for thedischarge of snow therethrough, and the tank is also provided with theperforated vertically and horizontally positioned pipes 60 to providefor a. spray of water within the tank. Hot water is supplied to thesepipes by a mechanism similar to that disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, thismechanism being preferably a functionally integral part of the device bybeing mounted thereon, as shown. That is to say, the water supply tank61 is secured to the under side of the melting tank 52, and the burner62 and heating coil 63 are also attached to the under side of themelting tank. The pump 64, corresponding to the pump 29, above referredto, is mounted on the front wall of the melting tank 52, and a secondpump 64', corresponding to the discharge pump 40, is also mounted on thefront of the melting tank.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the device is intended toaccommodate a large amount of snow and accordingly, two conduits 54 areprovided, see Fig. 6, and in addition to the vertical supply pipes atopposite sides of the tank, there is also a row of these vertical pipesextending centrally of the tank between the two conduits. The deviceoperates, in this arrangement, in a manner similar to that pointed outin connection with Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

In the arrangement of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and of Figs. 5 and 6, themelting tank, water tank and heating chamber are preferably insulated byany suitable insulation to avoid loss of heat to the atmosphere. The useof insulation is known and its application to the present device will bereadily apparent.

From. the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention provides adevice which is intended to melt the snow by the use of a supply ofwater which comes in contact with the snow within a melting tank, sothat none of the heat from the water is wasted. The device is arrangedto discharge the snow into the tank in small particles to assure rapidmelting. The melting snow and ice provides a continuous supply of water,which is constantly being heated by a suitable water heater, and is thenpumped back into the tank for melting more snow and ice. The meltingtank has a provision for discharging excess water therefrom, and thisdischarge includes a pump,

so that the surplus water may be forced to the nearest drain into thesewer.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcingsnow through the openings for discharging,

snow and ice in small particles into said tank, means for providing aspray of water throughout the greater part of the tank for melting thesnow coming in contact therewith, said last means including a pump and aconnection to the tank for drawing Water therefrom and means for heatingthe water before it is discharged into the tank.

2. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcing'snow through the openings for discharging snow and ice in smallparticles into said tank, and means for providing a spray of hot waterthroughout the greater part of the tank for melting the snow coming incontact therewith, said last means including a water heater, a pump fordelivering the water to the tank, a connection from the lower part ofthe tank to the heater for supplying water to the heater and a pluralityof perforated pipes mounted in a fixed position within the tank andcommunicating with the pump.

which delivers the water to. the tank.

3. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcingsnow through the openings for discharging snow and ice in small.particles into said tank, and means for providingv a spray of hot waterthroughout the greater part of the tank for melting the snow coming incontact therewith, said last means including a water heater, a pump fordelivering the water to the tank, and a connection from the lower partof the tank to the heater for supplying water to the heater, and adischarge for the tank located above the connection from the tank to theheater.

4. In a device of the class described, a tank, means within the tank formelting snow, and means for discharging snow and ice in small particlesto the tank, said last means including a perforated pipe within thetank, and a feed screw within the pipe.

5. In a device of the class described, a tank, means within the tank formelting snow, means for discharging snow and ice in small particles tothe tank, said last means including a perforated pipe within the tank,and a feed screw within the pipe, and means for driving the feed screw.

6. In a device of the class described, a tank, means within the tank formelting snow, meansfor discharging snow and ice in small particles tothe tank, said last means including a perforated pipe within the tank,and a feed screw within the pipe, and a collecting chamber at the end ofthe pipe to collect articles too large to pass through the perforations.

'7. In a device of the class described, a tank, means within the tankfor melting snow, means for discharging snow and ice in small particlesto the tank, said last means including a perforated pipe within thetank, and a feed screw within the pipe, a collecting chamber at the endof the pipe to collect articles too large to pass through theperforations, said chamber having a discharge opening therein, and amanhole in the tank wall adjacent said opening.

8. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcingsnow through the openings, thereby discharging snow and ice into smallparticles in said tank adjacent the top thereof and over substantiallythe entire area of the tank, and means for providing a spray of waterthroughout the greater part of the tank for melting the snow coming incontact therewith, said last means including a plurality of nozzleswithin the tank, and a pump for supplying water to said nozzles.

9. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcingsnow through the openings, thereby discharging snow and ice into smallparticles in said tank adjacent the top thereof and over substantiallythe entire area of the tank, and means for providing a spray of waterthroughout the greater part of thetank for melting the snow coming incontact therewith, said last means including a plurality of nozzleswithin the tank, a pump for supplying water to saidnozzles, and a heaterfor heating the water before itenters the nozzles.

10. A device for use with snow loaders and the like,"comprising a tank,a hopper thereabove to receive snow from the loader, a perforated pipewithin the tank and connected at one end to the hopper, a feed screwwithin the pipe, and means within the tank for melting the snow passingthrough the perforations.

11; A device for use with snow loaders and the like, comprising a tank,a hopper thereabove to receive snow from the loader, a perforated pipewithin the tank and connected at one end to the hopper, a feed screwwithin the pipe, a plurality of nozzles within the tank, and means forsupplying water to said nozzles.

12. A device for use With snow loaders and the like, comprising a tank,a hopper thereabove to receive snow from the loader, a perforated pipewithin the tank and connected at one end to the hopper, a feed screwWithin the pipe, a plurality of nozzles within the tank, a pump forsupplying Water to said nozzles and a heater for heating the water.

13. A device for use with snow loaders and the like, comprising a tank,a hopper thereabove to receive snow from the loader, a perforated pipewithin the tank and connected at one end to the hopper, a feed screwWithin the pipe, a plurality of nozzles within the tank, means forsupplying water to said nozzles, a discharge pipe for the tank fordischarging the water resulting from the melting of the snow and ice,and a pump in said discharge pipe.

14. In a device of the class described, a tank, means having a pluralityof small openings, means associated with said first means for forcingsnow through the openings, thereby discharging snow and ice into smallparticles in said tank adjacent the top thereof and over substantiallythe entire area of the tank, and means for providing a spray of waterthroughout the greater part of the tank for melting the snow coming incontact therewith, said last means including a plurality of connectedpipes each having a large number of perforations forming nozzles, and apump for supplying water to said pipes.

JAMES E. DEVLIN.

